Wing Heaven – 44th St. SW

As I was sitting at work, I got a Facebook message from J that she had got me a Concrete Mixer and some chicken strips from Culvers that would be waiting for me when I got home. As good as that sounded, getting home was still five hours away and it just so happened, I got this message just as I was trying to find some place for dinner.

The lure of chicken strips made me hungry for chicken. More specifically chicken wings.

My first thought for chicken wings in Grand Rapids is Wing Heaven. The problem with Wing Heaven is I never know if any of their stores are still in business. It seems like a new Wing Heaven will open and a few weeks later, it will be closed or renamed something else. Case in point, I called what I thought was the Wing Heaven on Division and the guy that answered the phone called the place Wing Kingz. I was taken by surprise so I hung up the phone. Did I call the right number? Well, I found out later, when I drove by the Original Wing Heaven on Monroe, that they too have been rebranded Wing Kingz. I’m so confused.

I decided to just take a drive. I had seen a Wing Heaven on 44th Street near Burlingame not too long ago, so I headed there.

In somewhat of a surprise, this store is actually still a Wing Heaven. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but they all seemed to be waiting for take out orders. The dining area at this store is actually pretty nice. There are a couple dozen tables in a large, clean dining room with a couple of LCD TV’s turned to ESPN.

I stepped up to order a 12 wing basket which comes with fries and a drink. I decided to break up the 12 wings in to two flavors. I got six in my all time favorite wing flavor, Garlic Parmesan and six Caribbean Jerk. The drink is Coke products. I was handed a Styrofoam cup with ice already in and found the pop machine on the other side of the Kool-Aid machine.

I took a seat at a table near the counter and took advantage of the free wi-fi while waiting for my order. Surprisingly, the wings were ready in a little over five minutes. I grabbed the bag and headed back to work.

Without wasting any time, I went straight for the Garlic Parmesan. The large juicy wings are covered in the Garlic Parmesan mixture. The wings have a great crispy skin and the juices pour out of them when you bite in.

After polishing off those six wings, I gravitated towards the fries. The thin cut fries are dusted with a choice of seasonings. I stuck with the seasong salt which made them a little too salty.

The last part of my meal was the Caribbean Jerk wings. The same juicy, crispy wings are covered in a Jerk sauce that is quite messy. The wings are a little hot but nothing like a hot wing sauce. Still, quite yummy although not as good as the Garlic Parmesan.

So, not really sure what the deal with Wing Heaven is as far as their franchises. Doesn’t really matter as long as I can still find good wings somewhere….and this store on 44th Street is still a place to find good wings.